I woke up the next morning to Maverick reading the newspaper. His feet were on the coffee table, but for once, he had decided to take off his shoes. I supposed that was an improvement. Zephyr was in the kitchen cooking, and Dimitri was curled up next to Aidan, who was playing that same puzzle game he’d been playing for the past week. I tried introducing him to other games, like the ones I (Sylvis) actually paid money for, but he wouldn’t budge. Finn was still asleep. He and Aidan were usually the last to wake up.

  “Okay, our show was good, but I don’t think it was good enough to make it in the paper that only the elderly read.” I snatched the paper out of Maverick’s grasp. I glanced at what he was reading—an obituary for a woman who died from pneumonia. Her family was suing a local bakery, claiming they were responsible for the onset of the original illness, yet they had no proof. “Why are you reading this?” I glanced at Maverick.

  “The humans here are unusually weak. I’d sue too if I died that easily. The hospital, not the bakery,” Maverick replied.

  “I doubt even Meridians are healthy enough to stomach moldy bread.” I rolled my eyes.

  I handed the paper back to him and dug out my phone instead. Finn woke up a few seconds later and peered over my shoulder for a few moments, realizing what I was up to. He quickly sat next to Aidan on the couch and pulled out his phone too, likely also scrolling for articles. Knowing how slowly he typed, I had a feeling he wouldn’t find anything for several hours.

  “Ouch,” Finn replied from the couch, still looking down at his phone.

  “Did she insult your choice of reading material, too?” Maverick asked, placing down the paper and crossing his arms.

  “Worse. My ability to type quickly.”

  “You are an awful typer,” Zephyr pitched in from the kitchen. I forgot he could still hear us. It always caught me off guard when he pitched into a conversation he otherwise wasn’t present for.

  I ignored the ongoing conversation and instead focused on an article written by the theater itself. Apparently they were very pleased with our performance, especially since two journalists had been present and written their own articles on the performance, giving the theater some extra publicity.

  I quickly searched for those articles and came across one that had two videos embedded, taken from audience members. I couldn’t remember if the theater had a rule against recording, but clearly that only went so far when publicity was on the line. Both videos were shaky and taken from the middle row. One was of Maverick and Finn’s duel, along with the boys taking their final bow and disappearing, and the other managed to showcase the excess ether! This was exactly what we wanted!

  “Found something?” Finn rested his chin atop my head as he watched the video from behind me. Once the video ended, I slid my head out from under him, causing his chin to fall onto the chair. “That was mean.” He rubbed under his chin. “But our plan has worked. People are talking about us, and the excess ether is in plain sight.”

  “What do we do now?” I asked. “Just wait for them to show up at our door? It’s not like they know where we live.”

  “They may not know exactly where we live, but they know our general location,” Maverick replied. “If we both want to find each other, I imagine we will.”

  “And what happens when we find them?”

  “Easy. We kill them.”

  Breakfast was noisier than usual. Apparently everyone forgot about the tense conversation from earlier. I had tried to reason with Maverick that we shouldn’t immediately kill them without knowing what they wanted, but everyone else was quick to take Maverick’s side. Something about how I don’t know how dangerous magic can get. Uh, yes, I do, I saw what Aidan could do when he absorbed Meridia’s ether. The members of the Magus of Historia were supposedly too powerful to take any chances with. I was told they’d consider us the same.

  But how else would we know why they would try to destroy Earth? If we stopped them, would more members come through and try to carry out the plan? We wouldn’t learn anything by killing them!

  At the same time, part of me was scared of talking them out of the course they’d already set their minds on. From how seriously they spoke of the other members, I was terrified to meet them. I was terrified of the possibility of having to face one without my friends protecting me.

  The sound of clinking glass snapped me out of my thoughts. Food was flying in every direction, utensils and cups following suit. The three teenagers and wannabe teenager had gotten into a fight over… I honestly didn’t pay attention. It either had to do with what our next step would be or Maverick getting a tattoo on his big toe. I wasn't quite sure how I came to this conclusion, but it’s the one I was rolling with.

  I was easily the first to finish my food. The noise and erratic movements were enough to make me scarf down my food. I quickly cleaned my plate and snuck out the front door before anyone could notice.

  I missed Rose… Carol… even Marge. I was quickly growing tired this week, having to deal with four boys on a minutely basis. In fact, when was the last time it had even just been me? I had been too scared to leave the apartment alone, but what was the worst that could happen? Nobody knew I had magic, I wasn’t part of the performance last night, and it was almost the middle of the day. I needed to get away from the insanity, and I didn’t care how.

  I stepped into everyone’s favorite coffee shop, placed an order, and tried to find a table that was empty. Apparently, everyone had gone on their lunch break early, and there was standing room only. What a great start to alone time.

  I managed to find a table that had one empty seat left. A woman with long auburn red hair and way too much makeup, and a younger girl with blonde hair and a tanned complexion. The former was scrolling through her phone, her long nail occasionally interfering, at which she would scowl. The other girl looked as if she would fall asleep at any moment.

  “Is it okay if I sit here?” I asked, pulling out a chair from under the table. They both looked preoccupied enough that they wouldn’t want to make conversation with me. And I really didn’t want to stand.

  The older girl glanced up at me from her phone, a smile quickly forming. “Of course, darling! You look to be around Lumi’s age—perhaps the two of you could become friends!” She beamed at me, her overlined lips forming a big smile as she closed her eyes in glee.

  “I-I don’t need more friends…” The blonde mumbled, looking away from me.

  “I’m just waiting on my lemonade. I’ll be out of your way after—” I was quickly cut off.

  “Lemonade! That’s Lumi’s favorite!” The older girl’s eyes widened. “See? The two of you already have so much in common!”

  “We really don’t…” Lumi replied quietly.

  “You’re familiar with New York, yes? Perhaps you could show us—and by us I mean Lumi of course—around!”

  “Uh, I’m just visiting…” I replied hesitantly. That wasn’t too much information, right? Ugh! I really needed to stop being so paranoid!

  “What a coincidence!” The older one smiled in surprise. “We’re visiting, too!”

  “I kind of figured as much from your last sentence…”

  “We’re just here until Zuri finds her boyfriend,” Lumi added boredly.

  Zuri narrowed her eyes at Lumi for a reason I’d never know. “H-he isn’t really my boyfriend.” She blushed. “We met on this app, and we’re supposed to meet up somewhere around here. But ah, he’s a bit… cryptic.”

  “I would move on from him. He isn’t worth your time—” I was quickly cut off by Zuri slamming her fists on the table.

  “You don’t move on from true love!” Her blush deepened. “Y-you never know who might be the right one for you! Fate has brought us together, and I will not defy fate!” Her cheeks were so red when she finished, I thought she might pass out.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Why are you telling her this?” Lumi’s voice was so quiet that I wouldn’t have heard it if not for the fact that everyone in the coffee shop was quiet, their heads turned to Zuri.

  “B-because my dear Lumi, t-the two of you are friends now!” She crossed her arms and looked away, her eyes closed and her cheeks still very much heated.

  “Why are you in New York?” Lumi asked me, her voice still quiet.

  “O-oh, um, I’m traveling with some friends! W-we’re on our way to California! Yep! Gonna get a hotel in California!” I quickly nodded. Crap! Why hadn’t I come up with a story beforehand?!

  “California is on the other side of the country. Where did you come from that you stopped in New York?”

  “W-well, we’re trying to hit all the major cities. S-so we started with Chicago and then moved to New York, and now we’re going to California! … I really want to go to California…” I was an awful liar, and I knew it.

  “Unlikely story. However, I will humor you.”

  “O-okay…?” I blinked, confused.

  A large pink drink and a medium lemonade were placed on the table in front of the two girls.

  “Those are our drinks.” Zuri smiled at me. “I must apologize for suddenly leaving, but Lumi truly does hate crowds. However, the heat is just so hot outside! And I simply couldn’t go without this establishment’s drinks, I’m sure you understand. Ta-ta for now!”

  “It was nice meeting you.” Lumi gave a small wave with one hand as her other hand held her lemonade.

  Zuri stopped for a moment, pushing Lumi ahead of her, urging her to continue. She turned to me, saying, “By the way, I wouldn’t drink the coffee.”

  “Okay…?” I blinked.

  Moments later, my lemonade finally arrived, and I got the hell out of there. The moment I stepped out the door, a hand clamped over my mouth. I froze, and then my hands did. I was stupid to go out on my own. What did I think would happen? That I’d be perfectly safe in broad daylight? That a lot of people my own age do this daily and are fine? No! Someone somehow knew I had magic and sent people to spy on me and wait for me to separate from my group so they could kidnap me!

  …Then why does that explanation sound more insane than the former? Well, it can be the only explanation!

  The person behind me quickly spun around in front of me and placed his hands over mine. “I can’t read your thoughts right now, but you better be thinking up an apology.” Finn’s cold eyes stared into mine. I had never seen him angry before—at least, not this way.

  “H-huh?” was all I could sputter out.

  “You left on your own without telling us where you were going! What were you thinking?”

  “Wouldn’t you know what I was thinking?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “I couldn’t hear you over Maverick’s idiocy.” He pinched the bridge of his nose now that my hands were no longer iced over. My lemonade was not so lucky.

  “I went to get a lemonade,” I answered.

  “A…” He glanced between me and the drink. “You risked your life and the life of others for that? You could’ve just asked, and I would’ve gone with you! Or Zephyr could have made you one! He’s been dying to try new recipes.”

  “Thanks, Maverick. Speaking of, I’m surprised it’s you here and not him.” I crossed one arm, using the other one to bring the drink up so I could sip it.

  “He didn’t want to be accused of stalking you again.” Finn crossed his arms in response.

  “So that’s your job now. Right after you argued with him about how he shouldn’t be stalking me.”

  “I didn’t stalk you.” He facepalmed. “I teleported here the moment you opened the door.”

  “You teleported?” I whisper-shouted. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

  “So is what you did!” he snapped. “I can deal with a couple people seeing me. If you got hurt, I… I don’t know what I’d do.” The last sentence came out quietly. I couldn’t be mad after hearing that. He really was just worried about me... And I should’ve said something before I left. For all they knew, I could’ve somehow been kidnapped.

  But that raised a new problem. Is this how they’re going to react any time I want to go somewhere alone? That I couldn’t handle.

  I let him walk me back to the apartment in silence. I had that same nagging feeling I had when Maverick was upset. I hoped Finn wouldn’t leave like Maverick and Mom had… He was also slouching a lot more than usual, and his breaths seemed labored. He’d mentioned before that he couldn’t teleport very far… Had he used up all his ether to find me? But why wouldn’t he just let Maverick go?

  “Ella!” Aidan threw himself at me. The force from his hug pushed my back against Finn’s chest, and I instantly blushed at being sandwiched between the two. “I was so worried about you!”

  I was hoping Finn would step out of the way, but to my shock, he wrapped his arms around me and Aidan, giving us a group hug.

  “Don’t scare us again like that, Ella,” Finn whispered into my ear.

  Everyone released me so I could face an angry Maverick. “Where did you go?”

  “To get a lemonade.” I held up my half-empty cup.

  His eye twitched much like Sylvis’ did when she was baffled. “You made all of us worried over a citrus drink?”

  “I didn’t think it would cause that much worry. Actually, can we discuss this?” I glanced at the four of them. “Me going out on my own?”

  “I don’t—”

  “As long as you tell us where you’re going, I don’t see a problem,” Zephyr was quick to interrupt Maverick. The latter’s jaw dropped over how quick he was to agree.

  “What if someone sees her hands?” Finn frowns. “That could put her in danger, and we’d have no way of knowing.”

  “M-maybe we could set a time for whenever she’s out and we can go look for her if she’s not back?” Aidan suggested.

  “By ‘we’ you mean ‘me’, considering I’m the only one who can teleport to her exact location. And if she’s been kidnapped, she wouldn’t be at the assigned spot.” Maverick crossed his arms.

  “Can you stop discussing me as if I were a child not currently present? What about asking what I want?” I crossed my arms.

  “What do you want then?” Maverick snapped.

  “Why don’t I just text you every once in a while and tell you that I’m okay?”

  The four of them glanced at each other, a silent conversation that I couldn’t understand. After what seemed like forever, they nodded in agreement.

  I sighed and excused myself to my room. Since leaving after just getting back didn’t feel right, I may as well just go to my room.

  And do what, exactly? I sighed. The video game system was in the living room, I didn’t own any books since I don’t read, and there wasn’t anything else to do. Play dress up? Hmph! I’m not five!

  Eventually, I was forced to return to the living room, where everyone seemed to be acting especially nice to me. Weirdos.

  After dinner, they stayed at the kitchen table, leaving the living room to me. Probably Finn’s idea. I wouldn’t mind if they weren’t just staring at me from the table.

  “I’m going to walk Dimitri. Alone,” I narrowed my eyes at the four.

  “F-Finn and I usually—” Aidan was cut off.

  “Nope! I’m doing it now! Me. I want to do this, so I’m doing it. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” I grabbed the leash from the hook on the wall and quickly attached it to Dimitri’s collar.

  “We still have to make those posters for that mutt,” Maverick mumbled from the table.

  I slipped on a sweater before leaving, knowing the evenings in New York were a little more chilly than what I was used to.

  This was nice. Just me and the dog. Me and Dimitri. I should volunteer to walk him more often.

  We stopped at a bench that he seemed eager to rest at. He jumped up on the seat next to me, and I began petting him.

  The sun had begun setting a few minutes ago. I imagined the sunset looked beautiful, but that wasn’t something I could see with all of the buildings. The gentle breeze also felt nice… I probably could’ve gone without the sweater.

  Loud cars drove past us, making the moment less peaceful than it could have been. And the smell definitely didn’t help. Right, better cross the road while the light was red.

  I began walking down the crosswalk when a car from the opposite direction started turning. Did… Did he not see me? I froze before taking a step forward and then immediately took a step back, realizing I wouldn’t make it across without getting hit.

  I froze. Was this how I would die? To a bad driver? Why had I talked the others into letting me go alone?

  The last thing I felt was my hands icing over, the coldness spreading to my arms.

  Then a push.

  My eyes were closed, my heart pounding so hard I feared it would pound its way out of my chest. I wanted to move, but I couldn’t. I was too scared. Did I die?

  “Are you okay?” I heard an unfamiliar voice ask.

  My eyes shot open. A blond man, maybe around the same age as Finn or Zephyr was on top of me, his hands propping himself up on either side of me.

  I glanced around him, looking for Dimitri. No… Had he been hit by the car?! My hands iced over once again.

  “You’re okay, Ella.” The mysterious young man handed me the leash I had previously been holding. “Your pet is here for you.”